We love dinosaurs, and their story is a big one. In this episode we talked with paleontologist Steve Brusatte about his new book, The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs: A New History of a Lost World.
Dinosaurs were, by a huge margin, the most successful group of animals the Earth has ever seen, their time on the planet covering some 140 million years. In that time, what we think of as “dinosaur” exhibited a lot of diversity, with a lot of fascinating stories.
Our conversation was geologic in scope, covering the emergence of the dinosaurs from the late Permian, through the Triassic and Jurassic, all the way to the end of the Cretacious and their untimely demise by meteor strike. We also got up-to-date information on the latest methods for studying dinosaur fossils (CAT scans and digital modeling), and the most recent additions to our knowledge (feathers! colors! birds!).
Like “Read Science!” on Facebook to hear about upcoming programs, easy links to the archive, and news about RS! guests: https://www.facebook.com/ReadScience/.
We love dinosaurs, and their story is a big one. In this episode we talked with paleontologist Steve Brusatte about his new book, The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs: A New History of a Lost World.
Dinosaurs were, by a huge margin, the most successful group of animals the Earth has ever seen, their time on the planet covering some 140 million years. In that time, what we think of as “dinosaur” exhibited a lot of diversity, with a lot of fascinating stories.
Our conversation was geologic in scope, covering the emergence of the dinosaurs from the late Permian, through the Triassic and Jurassic, all the way to the end of the Cretacious and their untimely demise by meteor strike. We also got up-to-date information on the latest methods for studying dinosaur fossils (CAT scans and digital modeling), and the most recent additions to our knowledge (feathers! colors! birds!).
Like “Read Science!” on Facebook to hear about upcoming programs, easy links to the archive, and news about RS! guests: https://www.facebook.com/ReadScience/.
‘Heredity’, to this episode’s guest, is a big idea. Today, we think of heredity almost exclusively in terms of the genes we get from our biological parents–but what about before genetics became an idea? With its root meaning in ‘inheritance’, what the word encompasses has shifted, expanded, and contracted, in varied and fascinating ways.
In this episode we talked with Carl Zimmer about his magnificent new book, She Has Her Mother’s Laugh: The Powers, Perversions, And Potential Of Heredity. With an encyclopedic approach and a fine ear for clarity of expression, Zimmer takes a comprehensive look at the state of the science in understanding the intricate operating of genetic inheritance, and adds historical depth to the exploration with compelling and illuminating stories from the past few centuries. The book is jam-packed with history, stories, personal reflections, and lots of science. Perhaps needless to say, we talked about as many of its ideas as we could pack into our hour-long conversation, and still only scratched the surface.
Like “Read Science!” on Facebook to hear about upcoming programs, easy links to the archive, and news about RS! guests: https://www.facebook.com/ReadScience/.
‘Heredity’, to this episode’s guest, is a big idea. Today, we think of heredity almost exclusively in terms of the genes we get from our biological parents–but what about before genetics became an idea? With its root meaning in ‘inheritance’, what the word encompasses has shifted, expanded, and contracted, in varied and fascinating ways.
In this episode we talked with Carl Zimmer about his magnificent new book, She Has Her Mother’s Laugh: The Powers, Perversions, And Potential Of Heredity. With an encyclopedic approach and a fine ear for clarity of expression, Zimmer takes a comprehensive look at the state of the science in understanding the intricate operating of genetic inheritance, and adds historical depth to the exploration with compelling and illuminating stories from the past few centuries. The book is jam-packed with history, stories, personal reflections, and lots of science. Perhaps needless to say, we talked about as many of its ideas as we could pack into our hour-long conversation, and still only scratched the surface.
Like “Read Science!” on Facebook to hear about upcoming programs, easy links to the archive, and news about RS! guests: https://www.facebook.com/ReadScience/.